The present invention relates generally to the art of dressing out big game wildlife, and in particular to the art of hoisting the carcass up for the purpose of skinning and cleaning out the internal organs and for hanging the carcass for cooling.
In this art it is necessary to hang and hold the big game animal up after it is harvested, for purposes of skinning, cleaning, and curing the meat. The present invention allows the user to do this operation whether it be at home, in a garage, out in the field under a tree, or a designated meat pole at a deer camp; without first having to climb up to attach a pulley or secure a lifting device such as a winch, or assemble and fasten a derrick type hoist with the aid of a motor vehicle. This is of considerable value to the sportsman for safety of not having to climb or reach the point of attachment that other hoisting devices employ. This also enables the user of the this hoist to lift the animal by himself without the need of assistance.
Techniques, such as the use of permanently installed pulleys and winch lifting systems have been used effectively in the past. Also, other similar devices have been used, but are also permanent in nature and operate significantly different from the present invention. The previously used techniques have been cumbersome and are not readily handy to the sportsman. Often times hunters are by themselves or they do not have access to these permanently installed or vehicle mounted devices when they are hunting and working with the big game animal.
Other devices that have been used for this purpose are shown in such periodicals as Cabela's and other mail order sportsman catalogs. In such, are old and well known devices such as a "block and tackle", a "come-along", and pickup truck installed lift cranes or derricks. Four prior art patents are known that describe pickup truck or motor vehicle installed lift cranes or derricks. U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,168 to Bradley is a boom that must be attached by two means of support to a motor vehicle, or the trunk or the vertical portion of a tree to offset the weight of the big game animal being lifted. U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,372 to Jones and U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,063 to York shows a boom type derrick that relies solely on three points of attachment to a truck or motor vehicle for support to offset the weight of the big game animal which is being lifted. U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,703 to Tanner shows a overhead supporting device which can be rotated, yet must be supported to the side wall, or fastened rigidly to the bumper of a pickup or motor vehicle. Also, it is common practice to install a pulley and winch system in a garage or in the wild to perform the task. In each of these cases portability and convenience of attachment is lacking. With other types of lifting mechanisms it is necessary to climb to the point of attachment before use. Also it my be necessary to drag the big game animal to the lifting apparatus.
The present invention represents a major advance in the art of hoisting and hanging big game animals. In the past, hunters have not been able to do this without the use of permanently installed tools, or without first climbing up to the point of attachment or anchor point. The present invention is simple to use and after hanging the carcass, enables the hunter to walk freely around for case of skinning and cleaning.